Do you see a lot of squirrels during Autumn/Fall? They work extra hard during this time - gathering up enough food to keep them well fed throughout Winter when food is scarce. Help these squirrels to their acorns and practice pre-writing skills too!
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Pre-writing practice is important for toddlers and preschoolers and helps develop fine motor skills needed for writing- correct pencil grip, pressure control, control over movement and direction etc.
"In short, pre-writing skills are the lines and strokes kids need to master and know BEFORE learning how to print the alphabet."- Growing Hands-on Kids
There are a variety of ways to practice these skills. One should not only use paper-based activities but hands-on activities like drawing lines in a salt/sand tray, too. (See this example.) Use this fun printable worksheet to give opportunity for pre-writing practice. (If you are able, place sand in a tray with acorns for extra sensory learning and copy the lines of the cards in the sand.)
Simply print the sheet (there are a color version and a black & white version). Then laminate it to make it reusable. Cut out in strips and provide a dry-erase/whiteboard marker.
Ask the child to help the squirrel to the acorn by following the line. This involves those skills needed for writing and the directional awareness to write from left to right.
There are a variety of lines on this worksheet. Depending on the age of the child, choose which ones he/she will master. Start off with the straight horizontal lines, then zig-zag and only then the squiggly lines (most difficult). The aim is to follow the lines without lifting the pen, practicing writing fluency. But, keep the age of the child in mind at all times.
This is a cute printable worksheet that your young child/ren can work on those pre-writing skills during Fall! Pair it with a sensory tray as suggested above and you have a multi-sensory activity to practice pre-writing.
This post was contributed by:
Nadia from Teach Me Mommy
Nadia is a South African mommy of two and a therapist at a elementary remedial school. She blogs over at Teach me Mommy about easy and playful activities with the aim to teach. You can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
